


Team Tension Is Created

by TvFan16



Series: Maggie & Jubal balance work and dating [6]
Category: FBI (TV 2018)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Relationship Reveal, Romance, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:33:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27546883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TvFan16/pseuds/TvFan16
Summary: A case causes some tension and someone on the team finds out who Jubal’s girlfriend is. So what will that mean for Maggie and Jubal?
Relationships: Maggie Bell & Jubal Valentine, Maggie Bell/Jubal Valentine
Series: Maggie & Jubal balance work and dating [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1929145
Comments: 22
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

Things had been going great between Maggie and Jubal, there had only been a couple of nights that they hadn’t spent time together due to Jubal being with the kids or Maggie spending some time with Kristen as she was preparing to come back to work. When Jubal and Maggie were spending the night together it was always at Maggie’s place which lead to Jubal having even more stuff there now. Maggie was really enjoying getting to spend so much time with Jubal, neither of them liked spending nights apart and that scared her a little. 

They didn’t always travel in to work together as some mornings Jubal had to be in a lot earlier than Maggie and they were also being careful not to get caught. This morning they had travelled in together and were thankful that no one was around where they parked as it meant they could walk in to the building together as they could say they arrived in the parking garage at the same time. They were walking alongside each other when something in a car caught Maggie’s attention and she realised it was Kristen who was sitting in her car, she noticed that she was actually crying a little, Maggie looked at Jubal 

“You go on up, try not to let her see you. I'm going to go check in with her” 

“Tell her to take her time okay? You guys just join when Kris is ready” Jubal squeezed Maggie’s hand gently before he let go heading towards the elevator. 

Maggie walked over to Kristen who had spotted Maggie making her way towards her car in her mirror, Kristen was wiping her eyes as she opened the door when Maggie was close. Maggie smiled softly seeing Kristen 

“Hey, I wanted to come over and check in on you” 

“I was doing good, then as I went to get out of the car it just hit me” 

Maggie leaned against the car keeping her focus on Kristen “That’s normal, this is your first day back, don't give yourself a hard time. It’s going to take you a while adjusting to being back” 

“I guess because I was actually excited this morning about getting back that getting upset just caught me off guard” 

“Pulling in here made it real for you that you are coming back, it’s been a couple of weeks from you were here. Do you want me to stay and go in with you?” 

“You sure you don't mind?” Kristen was thankful that Maggie had stopped it did make the idea of going back in less daunting 

“Of course I don't mind and take your time we are in no rush” Maggie smiled softly glad to see Kristen relaxing a little 

Kristen checked her eyes wiping them gently with a tissue and she took a slow deep breath calming her neves “I'm ready, I think I just need to get in there now, the thought of it is worse than actually doing it” 

Maggie stepped back so that Kristen could get out of the car “Well you aren't on your own for any of it, I’ll be right there with you and the team are going to be so happy to have you back” 

“Thank you Maggie for stopping and for just standing here calming my nerves” 

“Hey we are a team and more importantly were friends, so its the least that I could do” 

Kristen got out of the car locking it before her and Maggie made their way inside the building. Kirsten was quiet in the elevator and Maggie didn’t force her to talk she knew that she was mentally preparing herself for walking back in to the JOC, they stepped off the elevator and walked towards the JOC. Maggie almost walked in to Kristen when she stopped walking so suddenly 

“Kristen, everything okay?” Kristen was staring in to the JOC and Maggie followed her line of sight and realised she was watching Emily giving Stuart and OA a cup of coffee with one waiting for Maggie as well and all three of them were smiling and laughing. Maggie gently nudged Kristen with her shoulder “Hey, you are still an important part of this team, Emily is just helping out” 

Before Kristen could reply to Maggie Stuart had looked towards the door and his face lit up when he seen Kristen standing with Maggie “Hey you” Stuart set his coffee cup down and made his way over to Kristen hugging her before she really could react. Maggie smiled so thankful for Stuart’s reaction as she knew that it was exactly what Kristen needed. 

Kristen smiled hugging Stuart back, she knew that no one would say anything about them hugging since they were partners and she didn’t want to admit how good it felt to have Stuart’s arms around her, it was grounding her and making her feel better about being back at work. She was also trying hard to not think about how long they had been hugging, she was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard Jubal 

“Hey, there she is” Jubal was walking from the Conference room in to the JOC towards Kristen as the rest of the JOC started clapping. OA made his way over and hugged Kristen maybe a little tighter than he normally would, Jubal shook his head softly watching the way that Stuart and OA were with Kristen “Careful she is still in the healing phase” 

Kristen shook her head laughing softly “I'm fine don't worry, you three don’t have to look so worried I really am okay” Kirsten raised her eyebrow looking at Jubal, OA and Stuart as they all had a concerned expression looking at her 

Emily came over and she smiled softly reaching her hand out to Kristen for her to shake “Hi, I'm Emily, I’ve heard a lot of good things about you” 

Kristen smiled shaking Emily’s hand “Welcome aboard, the guys have been keeping me posted on what's been happening” 

“Yeah like Jubal having a girlfriend and how he still won’t even tell us her name” OA joked playfully

Before anyone could respond Isobel had appeared and she had clearly overheard OA’s statement who looked at Jubal to apologise, he was just trying to joke to try and relax things among the team. Isobel hugged Kristen careful not to hurt her

“Hey, it’s great to have you back, your body can rest but on this one we need your brain” 

Jubal wasn’t angry at OA for what he had said he knew that he was just trying to joke to make things more relaxed after Kristen meeting Emily as things seemed a little tense. He was also used to it as they had been trying to get more information out of him ever since they found out he had a girlfriend. Hearing Isobel had Jubal stepping forward to the top of the JOC 

“Okay listen up folks I need your full attention. Dan Osborne, many of you have heard that name and for good reason. Dan retired from the New York office 2 years ago after a career that was the stuff of legend. Twenty five minutes ago Dan’s son Jake was taken just blocks from their home. There’s no streets cams but we have teams out canvassing for witnesses and gathering any security footage from nearby houses. Let's check for similar abductions in the area, but we’ll keep in mind that Jake is the son of an FBI agent. Dan did tours in counter intelligence, Violent crimes, Fugitive unit and the drug branch so no doubt he made enemies along the way. Let’s see if any of them made credible threats again him and look into the kid, his friends, social media. Maybe what happened came from something in his life. Bottom line people, this is one of our own…..Let’s find Jake Osborne” 

As soon as Jubal had finished talking everyone in the JOC got to work straight away, Isobel looked at Maggie and OA  “I'm going to go with you both to the Osbourne’s house” 

Maggie and OA were surprised when they heard Isobel but they knew better to question it when it was their boss, first Jubal joining them a month ago to tell Harry Bloom about his daughter and now Isobel was joining them. When they arrived at the Osbourne’s house Maggie and OA were even more surprised and slightly confused when they seen Isobel hugging both Dan and his wife, clearly they all knew each other and very well. Isobel sat with Dan and Lori as she let Maggie and OA question them about any enemies that Dan might have. Dan gave them a list of names and Maggie took a picture of it and sent it to Jubal so that the team could look in to the list straight away. OA asked if he and Maggie could check out Jake’s room, while searching the room Maggie found five thousand dollars hidden inside Jake’s baseball glove. The Osbourne’s told them that they have no idea where their son got that money that he wasn’t in any trouble, he was an A student and an athlete that didn’t cause them any problems. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maggie and Jubal steal a quick minute together and they work on the case

Maggie, OA and Isobel made it back to the JOC in time to hear Jubal addressing everyone “The burning question people, where did Jake get all that moolah? Does he have some innocent side hustle like selling vintage clothes like my nephew does or is he up to something sketchy?” 

Maggie had to cover her mouth to stop the laugh from escaping when she heard Jubal mention about his nephew, she wondered if he even realised some of the things that he said when he was completely in the zone at work. The analysts told Jubal that the agents that had interviewed Jake’s friends said they were told he was a good kid but that the agents believe that some of the friends were lying to them. Kristen told him that they found a second set of prints on the money that Maggie found and that they were trying to find a match for them. 

Jubal told the analysts to keep following every lead they find to try and find out where Jake got this money and why his friends were lying about him. He had lifted his head and seen Maggie standing alone and he made his way towards her, he had been wanting to talk to her since she had gone to be with Kristen this morning, but this was the first chance that they got to talk

“Hey, everything okay this morning with Kristen?” 

“Yeah she just got overwhelmed when she got here, some nerves about coming back, but I told her that was normal. She seems to be doing much better now” Maggie looked at Kristen who was sitting at her computer working 

“Yeah, she started to relax the more time that she spent here back in the JOC, the first day back is always the hardest” 

“What's going on with Isobel? She clearly knows Dan and Lori Osbourne they hugged her the minute they seen her and it seemed like she knows Jake as well” Maggie was keeping her voice low so that no one else could hear them 

“I’m not completely sure what's going on there, I haven’t had a chance to talk to her, she told me about the case and then I spotted you and Kristen and she was joining you and OA before I could even ask her. I'm going to go now and try to find out what’s going on” 

This was the part that they both hated about no one knowing about them at work, they both wanted to keep it professional at work but if people knew about them Jubal would have squeezed Maggie’s hand just to ground himself before going and questioning his boss. It was clear that Maggie wanted to do the same, she wanted to support him as she knew he wasn’t looking forward to it, but they had to settle for sharing the soft gentle smile that they reserved for each other, but Jubal finally had to step away so that he could find Isobel. 

Jubal had checked Isobel’s office and then the break room but she wasn’t in either so he decided to check the only other place that he could think she would go to get a minute to herself away from everyone else. He made his way to the roof and he was relieved to see her when he opened the door and stepped out on to their roof and made his way towards her 

“Hey, how did you find me?” Isobel looked at Jubal before looking back at the city 

“Uh Spy Satellite” Jubal was glad that his response got a slight chuckle from Isobel “How are you doing?” He decided that if Isobel wanted him to know what was going on that she would tell him without him having to question her 

“Dan is the bet agent I ever worked with, I was his ASAC when he was at the drug branch, but I was the one learning from here. I wasn’t just his boss we became friends. When Jake was ten he had to have open heart surgery, then another two on top of that. No one knew if he would live or if he did how long for….. I was there for all of it” 

Jubal could tell this wasn’t easy for Isobel but he was glad that she was trusting him by telling him about her friendship with Dan, it made sense now why she had gone with Maggie and OA this morning to see the Osborne’s

“What can I do?”

“Keep me in the loop, give it to me straight, I want to know everything no matter what” 

“Of course, well we have found that however Jake got that money that another student was involved, I got a message from Kirsten on my way up here to say the fingerprints on the money had matched to a Beth Kimball” 

Stuart and Emily brought in Beth Kimball to question her, she tried telling them that Jake is a good guy but Stuart told her that doesn't match up with the money that they found in his room and that they found her fingerprints on the money so they know she’s involved with whatever Jake was doing. Beth told them that her and Jake were selling study drugs to their friends but swears that is the only thing they were selling. After being quiet for a minute Beth told them that her boyfriend found out that she was selling and he got upset blaming Jake for it all. She said that her boyfriend Warren Cooper would never hurt Jake. 

Stuart and Emily came out of the room with Beth Kimball and they told Jubal what Beth had told them. Jubal got the analysts to work on finding out what they could about Warren Cooper. It didn’t take them long to find out that he had been suspended from school twice for fighting with one leading to an arrest for assault which was later dropped by the prosecutor. The analysts also find out that Warren didn’t show up to school today leading to Jubal getting them to put out a BOLO on Warren Cooper. 

Maggie and OA went back to the Osbourne's to ask them if they recognised Warren Cooper in a picture they showed them but both said that they had never seen him before. Maggie told the Osbourne's about Jake selling study drugs to his friends and that was where the money had come from. Maggie and OA both knew from the Osbourne's reactions that they had no idea what they son was doing. They had to leave the Osbourne's as they had got a notification that an NYPD patrol car had spotted Warren Cooper’s car. Maggie and OA headed back to the JOC as Emily and Stuart headed to where the car was last seen. When they arrived at the scene they found Warren in an abandoned building trying to set fire to his hoodie but Stuart was able to stop him in time. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isobel’s behaviour continues to be suspicious to the team

When they bring Warren Cooper in to be questioned Maggie and OA took over but Warren started out by avoiding their questions telling them his lawyer will be doing the talking for him. Maggie told Jake that they know the blood on his hoodie is Jake’s and that they don't need a body to charge him with murder. That was what caused Warren to ignore his lawyer’s advice as he started to talk to Maggie and OA. Warren told them that when he found out about Jake getting Beth to sell study drugs that he was pissed and that he gave Jake a beating this morning. He tells them that Jake was very much alive when he told him to get out of his car, he explains that he panicked and wanted to burn the hoodie when he found out that Jake was missing. 

Kristen was already checking camera footage at the address that Warren had told them he had dropped Jake off at. The whole JOC watched the camera footage which showed them that Jake had gotten out of Warren’s car but that another man, they thought a Good Samaritan soon appeared on the footage and had taken Jake with him but they had only caught a quick glimpse of the car. The team followed every lead that they could find which lead to Kristen checking the doorbell footage from around the area where the Osbourne's lived. She spotted the car that their Good Samaritan had been driving and the jacket as he had his arm resting out of the window. 

Maggie and OA went to the Osbourne's as they had identified the man that had taken Jake as Sean Ellis. Dan had arrested Sean for drug possession and he had only gotten out of prison three weeks ago. They wanted to talk to Dan to see if he knew anything about Sean Ellis that would help them find him which would find Jake. When they arrived at the Osbourne's Lori was standing out on the driveway, she told them that when they got home there was a flip phone waiting at their door, she told them that Dan had read the message on it, grabbed his gun and had left the house. Dan hadn't told her where he was going just that he was going to sort this out himself. Maggie phoned Jubal to tell him what Lori had told them and to get them to try and find Dan before he done something stupid. 

Jubal had got the analysts to start working on trying to now find Dan Osbourne as well as finding his son. Isobel had been standing at the back of the JOC listening to Jubal before she made her way to him and only spoke when she was close enough that only Jubal would hear her “We really have to find Dan before he does something really stupid or dangerous” 

“Yeah, we’re working on it but there's just something that isn't adding up” 

“What do you mean” 

Jubal rested his hands on his hips as he looked at Isobel “Sean Ellis just got out of prison after doing five years, why would he turn around and ruin his future by abducting Jake?”

“It's hard to say at this point” Isobel was moving a little from foot to foot seeming a little uncomfortable 

“Yeah but you were Dan’s ASAC when he arrested Ellis, do you have any sense why Sean would make this move?” 

“No I don't” Isobel walked away from Jubal heading to her office before Jubal could say anything. 

The way that Isobel was acting seemed really strange to Jubal, to him it seemed like she was hiding something from him but he knew he had to be careful. He rubbed the back of his neck before walking over to Kristen “Hey, the charges that sent Ellis away for the five years, can you review them for me?” 

“Yeah I’ll pull the digital case file. What am I looking for?” 

“I'm not sure.. just see if there is anything usual” 

Kristen was a little surprised by Jubal’s request but she also knew that he wouldn’t be asking for no reason “Okay, I’ll get on it” 

Jubal checked in with the analysts to see where they were on tracking down Dan Osbourne and Sean Ellis but they hadn't really found much at this point other than the fact that Sean Ellis had a girlfriend by the name of Gina Ramos. Jubal rang Maggie to tell her and OA to go and question Gina Ramos but Gina doesn't give them anything, she told them that Sean would never kidnap a kid and that she isn't going to help them find him. OA found a phone on her table and he checked it to see that Sean had rang a ‘Roy’ a lot, he sent the details to Jubal to see what they could find on the number and Roy. 

Kristen looks in to the number that OA sends them and the person that it belongs to, they find that it belongs to Roy Hoffman who grew up in foster care with Sean Ellis and he visited Sean every week in prison. Lee finds that Hoffman drives the same car that was seen leaving the Osbourne’s house after the flip phone was dropped off. They are able to ping Hoffman’s phone and they send the address to Emily and Scola as they are closer to the location. 

When they arrived at the Junkyard they found Hoffman tied up inside a van, he told them that it was Dan Osbourne who beat him and then tied him up. Roy told them that Dan made him text Sean and say that they needed to meet and that it was urgent and Dan had then gone to that meeting. Scola gets the address from Roy and sends it to Jubal who sends Maggie and OA to the address straight away telling Scola and Emily to make their way there as well. 

Maggie and OA headed straight to the warehouse when Jubal sent in the address, they were looking around the warehouse when they heard a gunshot followed by Dan Osbourne shouting. They followed the sound of Dan’s voice and found him kneeling over Sean Ellis who was laying on the ground and had clearly been shot. OA took Dan off the top of Sean while Maggie tired to attend to Sean’s wound but he is bleeding out fast. OA called for an ambulance soon realising that he needed two as Dan had been shot in the side as well. Dan tells OA that he came to talk to Sean to get Jake back and Sean pulled a gun on him so he shot in defence. Maggie walked alongside Sean as the paramedics took him to the ambulance she asked him where Jake was but the only thing Sean said was ‘Brick’ before passing out. 

Maggie was about to walk over to OA when her phone rang, she was expecting it to be Jubal but was surprised when she seen Isobel’s name appear on the screen 

“Maggie, any updates on Jake?”

“Jake is out there somewhere, Sean Ellis said that he is still alive, but that was all I got out of him” 

Isobel sighed listening to Maggie “Anything on Sean’s phone?” 

“The techs rare still trying to unlock it”

“Keep me posted”

Before Maggie could respond to Isobel she had hung up the phone, she really needed to talk to Jubal to find out what the hell was going on with Isobel on this case, everyone had noticed how invested she seemed to be in this one. OA came walking over to Maggie who was still holding her phone in her hand as OA looked at her

“You get any updates from Jubal?”

Maggie shook her head “It wasn’t Jubal it was Isobel wanting to know what the updates were” 

OA raised his eyebrow in surprise hearing Maggie “Any idea what the story is with her and the Osbourne's?” 

Maggie shook her head as she noticed that OA was holding a phone “Is that the phone form outside Dan’s house?”

“Yeah they took it out of his pocket in the ambulance” 

“What about the text that made Dan go rouge, what did it say?” 

“That’s the thing, there is no text, Dan must have deleted it” 

“Why would he take the time to delete that message?” 

“I don't know, I'm really starting to think that something else is going on here”

“And with how invested Isobel seems in this case maybe we take this to Jubal first and see what he says?” Maggie looked at OA as she was talking to him. 

Before OA could reply Scola and Emily were joining them with Emily holding something in her hand “They are still going through Sean’s car, it’s a mess but we found this receipt in his wallet. He bought six burgers four hours ago from a fast food joint just outside Inwood” 

Maggie held her hand out to Emily for the receipt “I’ll take it with me I'm heading back to the JOC to light a fire under the tech’s asses, we need to get in to Sean’s phone” 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maggie helps Jubal deal with the tension between him and Isobel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was in my head so decided to post two chapters today

Maggie and OA left the warehouse and made their way back to the office, she had text Jubal the address of the fast food joint and the time that was on the receipt so that they could look in to it. While on their way back they got word that Sean Ellis had died in hospital. Jubal got the analysts to work fast as they really needed to find Jake Osbourne soon, Kristen tracks down footage from the burger joint and they find that Sean Ellis got in to a car that wasn’t his and that someone was in the car with him. Jubal thinks that his girlfriend might know who it is, Kristen meets Maggie and OA as they step off the elevator and she fills them in while they walk towards interrogation where Gina Ramos is waiting for them. 

Maggie had been hoping to get a minute with Jubal to tell him about the phone call from Isobel and to find out what was going on with her and this case but that was going to have to wait as they had to talk to Gina Ramos. Gina tells them that Sean was part of a drug gang and he got sent to prison for protecting their money and dope, but that when he got out they came to see him and told him that he owed them money. She tells them that he always made sure that she was never at home when they would come see him so she couldn’t identify any of them but the car that was at the burger joint had been parked outside their apartment last week, she had come early. Sean had told her that they had threatened both him and her if he didn’t get their money back. 

Maggie and OA walk back in to the JOC as Jubal is speaking to the team “Okay people we now believe that Sean Ellis accomplice is calling the shots and he wants ransom for Jake which is good because it motivates him to keep Jake alive. Once he realises that Sean is missing he’ll know things have gone south and then Jake becomes a liability. Has Dan Osbourne given us any more intel?”

Kelly lifted her head from her computer to look at Jubal “We have agents at the hospital but he’s still in surgery” 

Jubal nodded “Right okay, so lets focus on the car and who it belongs to. Let's pull street cam footage to see where it went next. Where are we with the drugs gang that Sean ran with?” Jubal stopped by Lee’s desk as he stood sipping his coffee looking at Lee’s computer 

“He never ratted them out, but the gang is called the Easy 8’s. The drug branch are sending over everything they have on the gang” 

“Go through every known member of the Easy 8’s and look for anyone who owns a caddy like the one that Sean Ellis got in to at the burger joint or for who had recent contact with Sean. We need to find out who Sean was working with, the clock is ticking on Jake Osbourne so we have to work fast” 

Kristen came walking in to the JOC and straight over to Jubal “Remember you had me look into that Sean Ellis Drug bust?” When Jubal nodded Kristen continued “There’s something you need to see” 

Jubal took the IPad from Kristen and read what was on the screen and he sat his coffee cup down as he headed straight to Isobel’s office and he knocked the door before stepping in to her office and closing the door 

Isobel lifted her head when she heard the knock to her door “Jubal, what is it?”

Jubal walked towards her desk resting his hands on his hips a little unsure of what he was about to say “So I….I checked into the case that got Sean sent away, guess he was a bit player, babysitting 80 kilos of coke and a million in cash when Dan Osbourne and his team raided that house. But in Sean’s statement he said there was two million in cash, which means”

Before he could finish Isobel was speaking “Which means nothing because there is no corroborating evidence”

“You are sure there isn't?” 

Isobel raised her eyebrow looking at Jubal “I looked into the allegations, there is no proof that Dan Osbourne stole a million dollars. There's nothing there” 

“Is that why you are reviewing Dan’s file” Jubal nodded to the file sitting on Isobel’s desk “Because there's nothing there?” 

Isobel was not happy with where Jubal was going with this conversation “Excuse me?” 

Jubal knew he had to stand his ground here because he believed that he was right “I'm just saying that if Dan took that money Sean would be on the hook for it. It explains why they kidnapped Dan’s son and why Dan deleted that text, went rogue and tried to solve this himself. Look Isobel I think Dan stole that cash it’s the only explanation that makes sense” 

“Jubal I get it trust me but I cannot accuse a decorated agent without any real proof” 

“You can’t or you don't want to?” Jubal knew he was really pushing here but he felt he had to 

That was the final straw for Isobel who now raised her voice while speaking “Get out of my office” 

Maggie had gone to the break room to get some coffee before going through the case files from the drug branch on the Easy 8’s, she happened to be walking past Isobel’s office when she heard her boss telling someone to get out of her office. Maggie was surprised when she seen Jubal coming walking out of Isobel’s office 

“Jubal… Is everything okay?” 

Jubal was surprised to see Maggie standing there and she had clearly heard Isobel telling him to get out “You got a few minutes to go somewhere and talk?”

Maggie could see that something was clearly bothering Jubal and he had obviously gotten on the wrong side of their boss  “Yeah of course, where do you want to go?” 

“Follow me” Jubal looked stressed as he made his way to the exit door that lead them up to the roof, he knew not many people went up there so it was a very private place for him and Maggie to talk. He was thankful that he had almost walked in to Maggie when he left Isobel’s office as he really needed to clear his head and he knew talking to Maggie would do that. He stepped out on to the roof and he closed his eyes taking a deep breath. 

Maggie followed Jubal in silence, she was giving him some time to gather his thoughts in his mind as she could tell there was a lot going on she just didn't know what it was. She closed the door behind her when she stepped out on to the roof and she stood sipping her coffee giving him a minute to himself to enjoy the fresh air. She knew that he would talk to her when he was ready.

Jubal stood with his eyes closed for a few seconds just enjoying the little bit of sun on his face trying to slow down his thoughts before he finally opened his eyes and sat against the small wall turning to face Maggie “So how much of my conversation did you hear with Isobel?” 

Maggie came over to the wall and sat against it beside Jubal as she turned her head to look at him “I didn’t even know it was you in there, I just heard Isobel telling someone to get out, I was surprised to see you coming walking out of there” 

Jubal sighed “I pushed too far but I also don't regret it because I think I'm right on this, her snapping at me makes me think that she knows I'm right” 

Maggie stood up and she moved to stand in front of Jubal who instantly moved his legs gently pulling her between his legs. She sat her coffee mug down beside him and wrapped her arms around his neck letting her thumb brush his hairline  “You don't push unless you have reason to honey, but what the hell is going on with this case and Isobel? She rang me when we were at the warehouse to check what was happening” 

Jubal was so thankful when Maggie moved to stand in front of him as it gave him the excuse to pull her closer to him, he rested his hands on her hips as he enjoyed getting to hold her a little closer now “She rang you? She shouldn’t have been doing that behind my back, she never mentioned that to me.” 

“I didn’t have a chance to tell you, I was planning to as soon as we got back but we had to question Gina. OA found it as strange as I did, we have all noticed that Isobel has been invested more than usual in this case” 

“You don't have to apologise Mags, Isobel should have told me that, so thank you for telling me. Isobel was once Dan’s ASAC, said she became friends with him and his wife, she knows Jake personally, so the case is personal to her.” 

Maggie kept brushing her thumbs along Jubal’s hairline as she listened to him “Hmm well you know how close an ASAC can get to their agents” Maggie smirked playfully and was thankful that it had the desired affect as Jubal chuckled softly 

“Yeah I don’t think they got as close as you and I are since he’s married and I didn't ask” Jubal shook his head laughing softly as he ran his hands along Maggie’s back slowly “But Isobel is letting her personal feelings get in the way of this case, she asked me to be honest with her about everything no matter what we found but then loses it when I point it out to her” 

“Point what out to her honey?” Maggie seen the stress again on Jubal’s face and knew that this was clearly what was causing him the most issues, she wanted to carefully push him to tell her as she wanted to be able to try and help him. She moved one of her hands running it along his arm slowly 

He knows that a lot of people might find it strange that they could be standing so wrapped up in each other and still be talking about work but it was actually helping Jubal relax and he knew that he could really trust Maggie “The case that Dan arrested Sean on, in the report it says they found one million cash but Sean Ellis always claimed that there was two million cash”

“And you think that Dan took it? Well that would explain why Sean took Jake he wants the million back from Dan so that he can give it back to Easy 8’s” 

“That’s exactly what I said to Isobel, but she said that there was no proof that Dan had taken the money. But it's the only thing that makes sense, why else would Sean Ellis take Jake” 

“And you accused Isobel of not wanting to look because of her relationship with Dan?” Maggie felt like she knew Jubal well enough now to figure out that was the reason that Isobel had shouted at him to get out of her office 

“Yeah I kinda done that. But I mean can you really blame me?” Jubal looked up at the brown eyes looking back at him, he did feel like a weight had been lifted now that he had told Maggie what had happened 

Maggie shook her head as she moved her hand on his arm to his cheek gently “Jubal I think that anyone in your situation would have said that, I mean we could not figure out why Sean had taken Jake it just didn’t make sense, but now it does. Isobel needs to look past her friendship with Dan and do what is right here” 

“I may have pushed too hard but I don't regret pushing, Isobel would have done the same if it was me, she probably would have taken me off the case before now if it were me in her situation. But I'm not going to let it get in the way of us finding Jake” Jubal leaned in to Maggie’s hand on his cheek before turning his head to kiss the palm of her hand 

Maggie stepped in as close to Jubal as possible as she moved her other hand to his other cheek so that she was now cupping his face in her hands “You did nothing wrong, you were doing your job and you are doing it all to try and return a kid to his parents. Isobel will see that in time, right now she just wants to protect her friends reputation” 

Jubal couldn’t resist running his hand under Maggie’s shirt as it was hanging lose and he let his thumb brush along the skin of her hip and he couldn’t help the smile that appeared when he seen her closing her eyes at his touch “Thank you honey, for coming up here with me, talking to me and calming me down. I feel like my head is much clearer now” 

Maggie was surprised when she felt Jubal’s thumb brush the skin on her hip but she leaned in to the touch instantly enjoying it, she leaned down softly pressing her lips to his and smiled against his lips when he pulled her as close to him as possible. When they broke the kiss she let her forehead rest against his lightly as she spoke “You don't have to thank me Jubal, I have missed being able to get even a brief moment alone with you. This case has been moving so fast that I feel like I haven’t had proper time with you in days, so trust me I was happy to come up here with you and I'm just glad that you seem more relaxed now” 

Jubal was pressing small kisses to Maggie’s lips when he could, she was right they had been consumed with this case since it was a teenage kid missing and it really felt like it had been so long from he had got to even just hold her. “I'm glad that you have missed our time as much as I have. I thought that I was maybe the only one that was missing our alone time”

Maggie shook her head making their noses brush against each other as they were still so close, she ran her thumbs along his cheeks gently “Trust me I’ve missed this, I've missed you and us..But once we get Jake home safely we will have time just the two of us” Maggie kissed Jubal again slowly and softly to begin with before deepening the kiss a little before reluctantly pulling back “You ready to go back and bring Jake home?”

Jubal took a minute to just enjoy getting to see Maggie unguarded and smiling so softly at him and he gently squeezed her hip nodding as he stood up “Yeah let’s go and bring this kid home” 

Maggie lifted her coffee mug and she smiled when Jubal wrapped his arms around her waist from behind as they walked towards the door and he was placing small kisses to her neck “You know you are making it harder for us to keep our hands off each other when we get back in to the JOC” she smirked playfully 

Jubal laughed softly keeping his arms around Maggie’s waist “Hmm maybe….I'm just enjoying every last second before I have to let go” 

Maggie shook her head laughing and turned her head kissing his temple she really did love getting to see this side of Jubal. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maggie makes a decision that surprises both her and Jubal but will things be okay between them when another team member steps in between them?

Jubal had reluctantly let go of Maggie when they stepped back inside the building, he took her coffee mug from her as he was going to the break room to get himself coffee and they both agreed that it would be better if they didn’t walk back in to the JOC together. He had checked with Maggie if she had wanted another cup of coffee but she was okay for now thanking him for asking. When she went in to the JOC Maggie took the free seat at the front of the room beside Kristen as they both started to go through the files that were sent over on the Easy 8’s gangs members. 

Jubal had took his time making himself the coffee so that he left sometime between him and Maggie entering the JOC, he did feel better after getting the brief moment with her on the roof but it didn’t sit well with him that he and Isobel clearly weren't agreeing on this case. He lifted his coffee mug and made his way into the JOC checking his phone as he had a text from Sam just checking in with him about the kids. He slid his phone back in to the holder as he looked at Maggie and Kristen 

“What have we got?” 

“Well these are all the known Easy 8 members” Kristen put the images up on the large screen while talking “Minus the ones that are in Prison or in New Jersey” 

Jubal looked at the images before back at Kristen “Can we connect any of them to the Caddy?”

Lee spoke up as he was the one working on it “No, none of them own that vehicle and we don't get a look at the driver” 

“Did any of them communicate with Sean Ellis” 

This time it was Kelly who spoke up “We’re checking but so far nothing” 

“We’ve got a dozen suspects here people we need to narrow it down” Jubal was looking at his team sipping his coffee looking up at the pictures on the screen and the picture of Jake with his parents, no matter what Dan Osbourne had done he knew he must be terrified about his son 

Maggie was working through the case file in her hands when she spotted something “Jubal”

“Hmm” Jubal was kind of in his own world thinking about how he would feel if someone took Tyler or Abby because of something he had done

Hearing the ‘hmm’ from Jubal made Maggie think of when he was concentrated at home and would hear her asking something, she realised he hadn't noticed the familiarity it showed between them as this was never a response they got from him at work. She was hoping if she kept talking he would come back to focus on what she was saying and that they were at work 

“When I asked Sean Ellis where Jake was he said ‘brick’”

Hearing Maggie talking more snapped Jubal out of his own world reminding him they weren't alone “Yeah, erm right I remember” 

Maggie looked at the case file before back up at Jubal “Russell McNair, his street name is Brick”

“Really?” Jubal walked towards Maggie while she was talking and he was now leaning over her shoulder looking at the case file, trying not to think about how close they were right now, images flashing in his head of getting to press his lips to her neck a few minutes ago, he shook his head lightly to bring him back to the present “All right, looks like we got our guy” Jubal stood up straight before turning around and leaning on the desk beside Maggie as he looked at the team “Someone give me an address for Russell McNair” 

Lee was typing on the computer before speaking “He has an apartment in Tremont” 

Before Lee could continue Kelly was jumping in “Wait, he also bought up six foreclosed properties. Two of them are close to the burger joint” 

Kristen joined Kelly and checked her computer and then looked at Jubal and Maggie “One of them just started pulling electricity as of this morning, right after Jake was abducted” 

Maggie looked at Kristen and then Jubal “He’s got to be holding Jake in there” 

Jubal nodded “Go hit that house and find the kid” 

Maggie stood up and went over to OA, Scola and Emily and the three of them left heading to the address but Maggie stayed, she turned around and came back over to where she had been sitting. Jubal raised his eyebrow when Maggie sat back down in the seat “You didn’t join them?” 

Maggie looked at Isobel who was standing at her office door and then up at Jubal who was still sitting on the desk she was at “I thought that I could be more use here, told OA it was a good chance for him to show things to Stuart and Emily” 

Jubal wanted so badly to reach out and take Maggie’s hand he knew that he was part of the reason that she stayed and he really appreciated it, he didn’t have to turn around to know that Isobel was there, Maggie looking that direction had alerted him to Isobel’s presence “Thank you” He smiled that soft smile he kept only for her 

Jubal stood up as he got the live feed sent through from SWAT who were all wearing body cams which allowed the JOC to watch what was going on. Isobel had come out in to the JOC when the live feed came up on the screen, She was standing one side of Maggie while Jubal was standing the other side of her. Maggie felt she was there to keep a little distance between them with the tension that could be felt. She couldn’t believe that her love for Jubal had made her stay in the JOC rather than be out in the field with her partner, she didn’t think she would ever make that decision. She knew that OA was safe with Stuart and Emily and the SWAT team but it didn’t stop her from feeling nervous as she watched the live feed. 

SWAT broke down the door at Russell’s property, the minute they enter the property gun shots can be heard and the SWAT team along with OA take cover by a wall 

“Flash-bang OA” Maggie had muttered not realising that Jubal and Isobel had heard her. On the live feed OA signalled to SWAT for a flash-bang, Isobel and Jubal both looked at Maggie when they seen the signal from OA. But Maggie’s focus was on the live feed, both Jubal and Isobel realised in that moment just how well OA and Maggie worked together. The flash-bang is thrown and more shots fire before OA shouts Brick is down. They continue to search the house looking for Jake, they find a locked door and OA gets them to break it down and inside is Jake Osbourne laying on the floor. OA goes to Jake straight away and checks on him before grabbing the SWAT body cam 

“I’ve got Jake, he’s alive” 

Maggie relaxes when she heard OA’s words and the JOC breaks in to applause as they are all delighted that they managed to find Jake alive as it really was a team effort. Maggie was talking to Kristen so Isobel choose that moment to talk to Jubal 

“Thank you” 

Jubal shook his head “It was a team effort, what matters is that Jake is safe and it’s over” 

“Not entirely” Isobel walks away before Jubal can even reply to her. 

Maggie had gone to her desk to wait for OA, Scola and Emily to return, Jubal turned around when Isobel left and seen Kristen standing alone he walks over to her

“Hey Kris, you did great work today which is why I need to keep you in the JOC for a while” 

Kristen was surprised by Jubal’s words “For a while? I'm getting medical release for field work in less than two weeks” 

“No I know, but working with you these last few days has reminded me how much we need you in here” 

“How long are you thinking?”

“I'm not sure yet, we will see how it goes” 

Kristen sighed “Okay”

Jubal smiled “Good” he patted her shoulder as he walked past her, he was either oblivious to how disappointed she was or he just didn’t want to get in to it with her. 

However it wasn’t something Kristen was ready to just drop, she was not happy as she made her way to Maggie’s desk and was glad she was still sitting alone “Did you tell Jubal that I should be back in the JOC?” 

Maggie was working on her computer when she heard Kristen and she looked at the other woman confused “What? No, what would I do that?” 

“I thought that maybe you told him about me crying in my car the other morning and that I wasn’t ready. I can do this, I'm not scared to be back out in the field” 

Maggie stood up to face Kristen “I hear you, but were not invincible I just want you to take the time to heal, not just physically. But I did not tell Jubal to keep you in the JOC. When the time is right you’ll be back out there” 

Kristen had calmed down as Maggie genuinely seemed surprised that Jubal had told Kristen he was keeping her in the JOC “What if everything and everyone moves on?” 

Maggie smiled softly looking at Kristen “Some things will but you are always going to be needed here Kristen” 

Kristen had calmed down now completely but she had no idea that she had made Maggie angry, not at her, she was angry with Jubal. Had he really used what she had trusted him with to keep Kristen in the JOC. Maggie was about to go and confront him when she heard Kristen speaking again 

“You want to get something to eat and maybe a few drinks?” Kristen didn’t want to head home yet and she wanted time with Maggie to chat to her about some things

Maggie was thinking of declining as she just wanted to go and confront Jubal but she seen how hopeful Kristen looked at her and she could tell that the other woman wanted to talk about something “Yeah sure food sounds good, lets go” 

Kristen was relieved when she heard Maggie agree to join her for dinner as she wanted to relax with her friend after closing her first case back at work. Maggie closed down her computer and stood up following Kristen to the elevator, she took out her phone and text Jubal 'I'm going out with Kristen. I’ll see you tomorrow’ she knew that he would know she wasn’t in the mood to talk to him from her text 

Jubal was standing talking with OA and Stuey when he heard the message tone on his phone, he smiled seeing Maggie’s name on his phone ignoring the teasing from Stuey and OA when they seen him smiling at his phone. But that changed when he read her text and he sighed reading it, he knew straight away that she was angry at him ‘Have a good night with Kris. Can we talk when you get home?’ 

Maggie seen the message from Jubal but she didn’t reply it might seem childish but she was angry with him and she wanted to focus on Kristen and whatever was on her mind 


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kristen seeks Maggie advice over dinner

Maggie had told Kristen it was her choice where they went for some food and they ended up in a familiar quiet restaurant they would some times go to as a team after a case. It was somewhere that they both felt comfortable and they didn’t need menus to order as they both knew exactly what they wanted. Kristen still couldn’t drink as she was still on antibiotics to prevent any infection in the wound so Maggie had decided not to drink as well. 

When the waitress left they chatted briefly about work before Maggie leaned back in the chair looking at Kristen “So you going to tell me what's on your mind?” 

“I should have known that you would have noticed” 

Maggie laughed softly “Don’t worry I know that’s not the only reason you asked me for dinner, but I can tell something is on your mind, so if you tell me now maybe you can relax” 

Kristen was quiet for a minute taking a sip of water to give herself more time before having to talk “At the end of our phone call the other night you said to enjoy my date with Stuart” 

“Oh that? I was wondering when you were going to bring that up” Maggie smirked playfully looking at Kristen 

“You’ve been waiting for this?” When Maggie nodded Kristen raised her eyebrow “You said that on purpose on the phone didn’t you?” 

Maggie thought back to Jubal saying the exact same thing to her but she really didn’t want to think about that right now as it would ruin her mood “I did say it on purpose. I thought that me saying it would get inside your head and make you think about things” 

“Think about what things?” 

“The fact that you like Stuart and that he likes you too” Maggie decided that it was best to just get straight to the point 

“I…he…. What?” Kristen was a little flustered at what she was hearing 

Maggie couldn’t help but chuckle softly “I don't think I've ever seen you've this flustered before. But I'm impressed that you didn’t deny it” Kristen opened her mouth to deny it but Maggie shook her head smiling “No before you deny it and ask you guys didn’t make it obvious, not at work anyway. It was when we were all in your apartment that I realised that you had feelings for Stuart, I already knew by then that he had feelings for you” 

“Wait, hang on….How do you know Stuart has feelings for me?” Kristen was trying to get her head around everything that Maggie was saying 

“When you came to me about the training incident I wanted to talk to Stuart to find out if he was going easy on you because you were female, you deserved to know the truth. After that conversation I had a feeling he had feelings for you, and by the way he was not going easy on you he would have told you if you screwed up badly. Then when you got injured I seen how much he was struggling, we all were struggling but he just seemed so lost without having you with him.. When I got the cut on my head he turned up in the JOC with water and painkillers for me because he said you would want him to take care of me when you couldn’t”

Kristen was honestly shocked at everything that Maggie was saying “Thank you for talking to him and finding that out for me, I don’t want to have a partner that would treat me differently because of my gender and he’s right I would have wanted him to look out for you when I wasn’t there. How did you know that I felt the same way about him?” Kristen knew that there really was no point hiding it from Maggie 

“When I knew he had feelings for you I was watching you both interact a little closer, I didn’t want him getting hurt or it ruining your partnership if you didn’t feel the same. But that day in your apartment I noticed the way you smiled when you seen it was him at the door, you relaxed more when he was there, and the more you relaxed the more open you got with your actions and words towards Stuart. Don't get me wrong it's not like you two were making it obvious, I don’t know if I would have noticed if I wasn’t watching for it” 

Kristen relaxed hearing Maggie’s words “Okay good, I'm glad that I'm not walking around with a big sign on me that says I have feelings for my partner” 

Maggie laughed softly hearing Kristen “No you don't have that sign on you don't worry.. But have you two actually done anything about those feelings?” 

Kristen shook her head “I wasn’t sure if he was interested in me that way, it’s why I wanted to talk to you because I don't want to mess up our partnership by making a fool of myself” 

“Well I can promise you that he feels the same way that you do, he’s also afraid that he will mess it up, so it might be on you to admit the feelings..Once you do though he will confirm his feelings. You guys have been hanging out more the last few weeks?” 

Kristen now had the smile that Maggie had noticed lately when she talked about Stuart “Yeah he’s been coming over a few times a week with dinner for us both, we both used the excuse that it was easier for him to keep me up to date with work that way rather than over the phone” 

“Even though you both were texting as well” Maggie smirked “He gave that away when he text you straight away about Jubal’s girlfriend” 

“Oh god Jubal” Kristen covered her face with her hands “What is he going to say if something were to happen between me and Stuart? He will probably break us up as partners” 

As much as Maggie was angry at Jubal right now she knew she couldn’t let that affect her conversation with Kristen who was really nervous again and getting herself worked up worrying “I don't think he would break you guys up as partners not unless it started to affect your work and I don't imagine that it would. Yes you guys would have to disclose to him, but that doesn't have to be until you are both sure about things. And if he asks why it took you both a while to come forward then you just tell him that you were waiting to see if it was something before disclosing”

“That’s true about disclosing, we could use that excuse.. You think that Jubal may go easier on us the fact that he has his own girlfriend that we still know nothing about, which is really frustrating by the way.. Me and OA are still trying to find out even her name but that man is not giving away anything” 

“I don't think he would go hard on you guys even if he wasn’t in a relationship” Maggie was feeling thankful that they wouldn't be telling him soon as he and her weren't on great terms right now. “Oh don't worry me, Stuart and Emily have seen you two try and get information from Jubal, I mean it is actually fun for us” Maggie laughed softly as it was the truth 

“I'm not giving up until we get at least some information. I mean we have nothing other than they are together about two months.. we need more” Kristen laughed softly before getting serious again “Jubal’s opinion really matters to me and to Stuart, I know he really looks up to Jubal. I don't want that to be damaged by us dating” 

Maggie smiled softly “He might give you both a speech about not hurting each other and not letting it affect work but Jubal won’t stand in the way of you two. And I will be telling Stuart not to hurt you and I'm saying to you now to not hurt him and OA will do the same when you guys tell him. But that’s just what family and friends do”

Kristen was thinking about what Maggie had said before replying “That’s true, I think that’s why part of me wants to know who Jubal is dating. All joking aside I just want to make sure that she’s not going to mess him about, I mean he’s never talked about a girlfriend in all the time I've known him and he does seem happy when we mention her. I just want to make sure she really cares about him and is with him for the right reasons”

Maggie was really struggling to not just blurt it out to Kristen right now that she was the one that Jubal was dating, this was the first time that she had come so close to telling someone they work with. “Deep down Jubal knows the real reason you want to know is because you want to protect him, that’s how he will be with you and Stuart. You two dating won’t change anything between you and Jubal or Stuart and Jubal.”

“I do hope that he some time soon feels comfortable enough to introduce us to his girlfriend, OA is the same we would honestly just like to meet her when she clearly means something to Jubal. I mean if you were dating someone we would be the exact same way with you” 

Maggie smiled softly “We are just one big protective family” she chuckled softly trying to not get lost in her head about how bad she felt right now that they were hiding from the team that it was her that was Jubal’s girlfriend. Were they going to be really angry when they found out, she didn’t want them to be hurt or angry about it. “Just promise me one thing” When Kristen nodded Maggie continued “Tell Stuart how you feel, don't hint at feelings and don't waste time that you could have together because you are nervous. Trust me I would tell you if I thought it was a bad idea, but you both completely have my support, you care about each other and clearly have feelings so it’s worth the risk” 

Kristen couldn't help the genuine smile on her face as she listed to Maggie, she was more relaxed now and was feeling more confident about talking to Stuart about what was going on with them “Thank you Maggie I really appreciate you being here for me and hey who knows maybe when me and Stuart figure things out we can persuade Jubal to join us for a double date with his girlfriend and I can tell you and OA about her” 

Maggie had to smile at the idea of them going out on a double date with Kristen and Stuart and even having OA and Mona joining or OA and Emily so that they could all go out together. But that wasn’t something she could share right now or it would give away their secret if she still had that secret to protect. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jubal and Maggie talk about what is bothering her and someone show’s at Maggie’s apartment

Maggie and Kristen had spent the rest of dinner enjoying their food and catching each other up on other things in their life like their families. They had bid goodnight to each other with a hug and headed home in their separate directions. Maggie was walking towards her apartment thinking about dinner with Kristen, she had really come so close to telling Kristen about her and Jubal and then thinking of him just reminded her that she was angry, but she was also hurt that he had used what she had trusted him with against her friend. Maggie was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even see Jubal sitting on the steps outside her apartment until she was about to walk up the steps and he was speaking the minute she looked at him 

“You're angry at me, is this about Kris?” 

Maggie took a deep breath and she sat down on the step beside him but not sitting close to him “Did you use what I trusted you with in your decision to keep her in the JOC?” Maggie hated how soft her voice sounded but she wasn’t sure how she was going to react to his answer 

When he heard the question he realised why she was clearly angry at him “No! Mag’s I swear. When you talked to me about Kristen you were telling me as your boyfriend not as your boss. I would never use that in a work decision” 

Maggie finally turned her head to look at Jubal for the first time “So why are you keeping her in the JOC?” 

“She’s not ready, physically maybe but she has to deal with it mentally and she hasn’t. If I come straight out and say that to her she will get defensive, I'm hoping by keeping her in the JOC and working some more cases that it will help her.” 

Maggie was quiet for a minute as she ran her hand over her face taking a deep breath “I'm sorry for getting angry at you, Kristen came to me wanting to know why I had told you to keep her in the JOC. I didn’t know what to think, she had caught me completely off guard and she was so pissed off at me” 

Jubal moved closer to Maggie on the step he was hoping that she wouldn’t move away from him “I'm sorry that Kris thinks you were part of my decision. I can talk to her and tell her you weren’t” 

Maggie seen Jubal move closer and she seen how tense he was because he had no idea how she was going to react and she hated that he was worried she would actually pull away from him, but she didn’t blame him for thinking that. She closed the distance between them and lay her head on his shoulder “That would be one way of telling her who your girlfriend is” She joked lightly “She knows I didn’t have anything to do with it, we talked about it. That’s when I found out that you hadn’t even mentioned me that she had just jumped to that idea herself” Maggie stood up and held her hand out to Jubal “C’mon lets go inside, have you eaten?” 

Jubal took Maggie’s hand as he stood up and he followed her to her door, he wrapped his arms around her from behind while she was unlocking the door as he was not ready to break the contact, he really thought that he had messed things up tonight between him and Maggie “I ate before I came here, I assumed that you and Kris would eat when out together and I wasn’t sure how long I was going to be sitting on your steps” 

Maggie opened the door and stepped inside and she could feel that Jubal didn’t really want to let go of her but that he did so they could both take off their coats and hang them up and the minute that they did he was standing looking at her unsure of himself a little so she took his hand in hers walking over to the couch after she had kicked her shoes off “How long were you out there? What if Kristen and I had gone for drinks after food?” 

He had been so relieved to feel Maggie’s hand slide in to his, he knew they had sorted out things but he still didn’t want to push too much as he was afraid that Maggie would pull away still, his fights with Sam playing in his head which would have seen them sleeping in separate rooms for days “Not that long, I went to a meeting first and I know Kris is finishing her meds so she can’t drink but not that it matters I would have sat there until you came home. I wasn't leaving you angry at me over night” 

Maggie looked at Jubal as she heard his words and she felt so guilty when she heard about him going to a meeting, had their fight made him want to drink? She realised that he was actually being serious about staying out on the steps until she got home “Jubal I'm so sorry that me being childish drove you to a meeting. I should have just talked to you but I could tell Kristen really needed to talk to someone tonight but I should have replied to your text and not ignored you” Maggie was silent for a minute before looking at Jubal again “You really would have sat out there until I came home no matter how late?” 

Jubal moved closer to Maggie on the couch more confident now that she wouldn’t pull away from him and he squeezed her hand gently “Honey you aren’t to blame for me going to a meeting, I haven’t been to one in a while and the old me would have turned to drink when fighting with someone I love but tonight I went to a meeting instead. And yes I really would have sat out there for however long it took for you to come home and talk to me, I couldn’t leave things like this between us over night” Jubal would have leaned in and kissed Maggie but he wasn’t sure if she had taken a glass of wine or a beer with her dinner 

Maggie realised why Jubal hadn't closed the gap between them and she smiled as she moved in closer to him “I haven’t been drinking” she had just finished speaking when she felt Jubal’s lips on hers making her chuckle a little as she fell against him kissing him back. Maggie broke the kiss before they both got completely lost and she pulled back a little running her fingertips along Jubal’s cheek “Lets go get changed and then we can come back down here and relax for a little bit” 

Jubal nodded to show Maggie that he agreed with her suggestion, he didn’t want to break the contact but he knew they both wanted out of their work clothes to relax for the rest of the night before heading to bed. He knew that Maggie and him were really okay again but that didn’t mean that he didn’t want to remind her just how much she meant to him and that he really wasn’t going anywhere. When they got changed they came back down stairs and Jubal was sitting on the couch while Maggie was in the kitchen getting a drink 

“Did you have a nice time with Kris?”

“It was actually really nice to get to chat with her after her first case back and I was there to apparently give advice on her feelings for Stuart” Maggie smirked as she knew that would catch Jubal’s attention and she chuckled when his head turned so fast to look at her 

“She actually told you she has feelings for him?” Jubal couldn't hide the surprise from his voice 

“Well I could tell there was something on her mind, she mentioned me saying about enjoying her date last week on the phone so I guessed the rest and she didn’t deny it” Maggie came over with a drink for both her and Jubal setting them on the coffee table infront of them and sat down beside him and snuggled in to his side when he lifted his arm for her

“So you calling it a date then worked?” Jubal laughed as he kissed Maggie’s head holding her close to him, he couldn’t stop smiling as Maggie lay snuggled up to his side wearing his hoodie once again “So that mean I'm going to be getting disclosure papers from them?”

“Well not anytime soon, you know since we still haven’t” Maggie laughed poking his stomach gently “She did worry about how you would react but by the end of our conversation she was planning a double date with her and Stuart and you and your girlfriend” 

“Excuse me what?” Jubal looked at Maggie raising his eyebrow

Before Maggie could reply there was a knock at her door and she walked to the door laughing at Jubal’s reaction about the double date, she had assumed it was one of her neighbours at the door but that couldn’t have been further from the truth and she all of a sudden felt uncomfortable in Jubal’s hoodie 

“Isobel….erm what are you doing here, is everything okay?” 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maggie deals with Isobel being at her apartment and what it means for her future with Jubal

Jubal sat up straight when he heard Maggie, he was convinced she was joking until he looked over to where she was standing and he seen how tense she was holding herself. 

Isobel didn't seem surprised by Maggie’s reaction to her being there or the fact that Maggie is clearly in a man’s hoodie that is too big for her “I was hoping that I could speak to Jubal” 

Maggie swallowed hard not sure that she could find the words right now and Jubal hadn't moved as he was trying to get his head around what was happening. When Maggie didn’t say anything Isobel decided to explain herself a bit more 

“I went to his apartment but his neighbour said he hasn't been there for a few days so I figured he was here” Isobel was trying hard to not smile at Maggie’s expression right now 

“Erm….Yeah…. he’s here, Come in” Maggie couldn’t believe those words were coming out of her mouth as she stepped back to let Isobel in, she knew there was no good cover to explain why Jubal was currently in her apartment in his shorts, a T-shirt and his bare feet. 

Maggie closed the door when Isobel stepped inside and Jubal had stood up when he heard Maggie telling her to come in  “Isobel, is everything okay?” Jubal some how had managed to sound calm and totally normal right now 

“I’ll let you two talk in private” Maggie looked at both Jubal and Isobel as she spoke as she went to leave to head up stairs or really anywhere that wasn’t standing here with both her bosses even if one of them was her boyfriend 

Isobel looked at Maggie and smiled softly “Maggie stay, this is your home, I just wanted to come here and apologise” Isobel now turned to look at Jubal “I want to apologise for the way that I spoke to you in my office, Dan is….was a good friend. I didn’t want to believe he had stole that money. He confessed in the hospital, Stuart and Emily arrested him and you deserved to hear that from me” 

Maggie had a lot of admiration for Isobel as she knew that it can’t have been easy to say all of that and especially to say it in front of her but Maggie still couldn’t believe how calm and together Jubal looked and sounded as he spoke to Isobel 

“I really am sorry about Dan Isobel, I wanted to be wrong about him and the money and I know that it can’t have been easy for you to arrest him or to come here” Jubal lifted his hand rubbing the back of his neck as he took a slow steadying breath as he looked at Isobel again “So if I told you that I was here for work…..”

Before Jubal could finish Isobel was speaking “I'd say that you were a bit too familiar given your outfit” Isobel laughed softly as she watched Jubal look at his own shorts and bare feet like he had forgotten what he was wearing 

“So how long have you known?” Jubal knew there was no point in even trying to deny it anymore and the fact that Isobel knew to come to Maggie’s for him meant that she clearly knew about them

“That you and Maggie have been dating?” When Jubal nodded Isobel continued speaking “I started to get suspicious when Maggie went missing undercover and your reaction to that in the JOC. I’ve also noticed a few things since then between you both, the way you look at each other, Maggie taking the band off your wrist after the good news about Kristen, stealing moments when you can at work when you think no one is watching, the touches when you are close and you guys confirmed it today when Maggie stayed in the JOC instead of joining OA and the SWAT team. I'm guessing that was Maggie with you on the footage from Gio’s restaurant?” 

Maggie was standing playing with the sleeve of Jubal’s hoodie that she was wearing, she really had no idea how Jubal and Isobel were chatting like this was just an ordinary conversation that they've had before, where as she was sure they could hear her heart beating. Jubal looked at Maggie and chuckled softly before looking at Isobel 

“Yeah it was Maggie but neither of us were expecting that to happen and we have been careful at work. We were going to disclose we just wanted to wait until it was serious” 

Isobel raised her eyebrow smirking “Maggie met your sister, you haven't been home in days, she’s brought out a different smile in you when you look at her and you both look at each other like two people in love, I think it’s serious. I expect disclosure papers on my desk tomorrow morning and we might need to consider sending our agents for more training since they still haven’t figured out that Maggie is your girlfriend” Isobel joked playfully as she looked at Maggie and Jubal, she was genuinely happy for them both 

“The papers will be there first thing and we are trying hard to be really careful at work and around the others… I'm guessing you haven’t got any issues with us being together?” 

“The other’s don't seem to have noticed and I've no issues as long as it doesn't interfere with your work and so far I haven’t seen anything to make me worry about that” Isobel started to walk towards the door and she turned to look at them both again, Jubal had made his way over to Maggie and was standing slightly in front of her, one of his hands behind his back as he took Maggie’s hand in his to try and ground her 

“I do have one question, you don't have to answer though but how long have you two been together?” Isobel couldn’t stop the smile as she looked at them standing so close now, she knew that Jubal’s hand was either on Maggie behind his back or he was holding her hand 

“Erm a few months” Maggie spoke for the first time since Isobel had told her to stay for the conversation, having her hand in Jubal’s had grounded her, she wasn’t actually sure she could speak until she heard the words leave her mouth 

“So when you got shot you two were together?” Isobel looked at Maggie who nodded her head to confirm it and Isobel then looked at them both “You two did well to hide it on that case. I'm sorry for coming here without warning, I’ll let you two enjoy the rest of your evening”

Jubal stepped forward keeping Maggie’s hand in his as he opened the door for Isobel showing her just how comfortable he was in Maggie’s home “Thank you for letting me know about Dan I appreciate it” Jubal really did mean it when he said that, Isobel waved at them as she walked down the steps and towards her car. 

Maggie leaned her forehead against Jubal’s shoulder blade standing behind him “You think it would be too obvious if I changed my job?” she joked playfully making Jubal laugh softly as he closed the door. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jubal and Maggie discuss what Isobel knowing means for them

Jubal closed the front door and he turned around to face Maggie, he couldn’t shake the smile from his face “I think you changing your job or transferring to another branch might let the others know that it’s you that I'm dating” he chuckled softly when he heard Maggie groan and he took her hand in his and lead her over to the couch sitting down where they had been before Isobel arrived. 

Maggie followed Jubal and looked at him when they sat down on the couch, she kept her hand in his liking the way that it felt “How the hell did you sound so calm and like it was just a normal conversation with Isobel?” 

“Mag’s we already had suspicions that Isobel knew so it wasn’t exactly a big surprise. I mean yes I was surprised that she knew to find me here but not that she knew about us” Jubal was watching Maggie closely “Are you upset that Isobel knows because we have to disclose or are you just upset that someone at work now definitely knows about us?” Jubal wasn’t sure about Maggie’s reaction it had him slightly confused 

Maggie was playing with Jubal’s fingers as she listened to him talk and she was drawn out of her own thoughts when she heard him “Jubal I'm not upset.. I'm embarrased” Maggie seen the look of pain flash across Jubal’s face at her words and she put her hand on his chest to stop him from moving when he tried to stand up “Wait… that didn’t come out the way I meant it.. I'm not embarrassed about being with you Jubal I'm not even embarrassed that Isobel knows about us, I'm a little embarrassed that she seen me in your hoodie and you looking this relaxed...she’s our boss” 

When Maggie said that she was embarrassed his mind went straight to her being embarrassed about their relationship, he knew that she had met his sister and the kids but he couldn't stop his mind from going there. He was glad that Maggie realised quickly why he wanted to move and decided to explain it more, he lifted his free hand and brushed her hair behind her ear 

“So you're not embarrased about being in a relationship with me?” 

“No I promise. I meant it when I said that I would tell the whole team to show you that I really wasn’t embarrassed about us. I have never had to deal with a boss finding out I'm dating someone I work with so it’s new to me” 

“I’ve never actually dealt with it before either and I honestly didn’t picture this ever being the way that Isobel confirmed that she knew about us. I was expecting her to maybe call me in to her office and ask, not show up here but hey it is better than her walking in on us making out” Jubal smirked 

Maggie slapped Jubal’s chest lightly and laughed hearing his words “Okay I'm sorry but if that happened I would definitely be asking for a transfer to a different branch” 

Jubal laughed wrapping his arms around Maggie pulling her gently against his chest as he leaned back against the arm of the couch keeping her in his arms “What? You not think that’s just how we should tell everyone? Just let them walk in on us making out, you know how Tom caught us at the hospital?” 

Maggie happily let Jubal pull her against his chest as she lay against him and lay her head on his shoulder running her hand along his arm “Why do I get the feeling that is exactly how you want OA and Stuart to find out about us?” She teased playfully poking his side making him laugh 

“Well I mean can you blame a guy for wanting to show off to his friends and colleagues that he has a beautiful girlfriend that wants to make out with him?” 

Maggie lifted her head from his shoulder so that she could look in to the Hazel eyes that she loved so much “You know you are very good at the sweet talking Valentine” She smirked playfully 

“I have to live up to the last name” Jubal leaned in closing the distance between them as he kissed Maggie slowly but with so much love holding her as close to him as possible, he had meant his words though he would gladly show Maggie off to the world because a large part of him still couldn’t believe that she had chose him. 

When they broke the kiss Maggie lay her forehead against Jubal’s lightly as she ran her thumb along his cheek slowly “So what do we have to fill out for Isobel?” 

Jubal had kept his eyes closed feeling Maggie’s forehead against his as he ran his hand along her back slowly enjoying that she had happily stayed so close to him “I have it on my laptop we can print it out and fill it in now if you want?” 

Maggie nodded her head but didn’t move straight away when she finally did move she stood up and held her hand out to pull Jubal up from the couch. Jubal took Maggie’s hand as he stood up and he lead them over to where his laptop was still set up close to the printer, he sat down on the chair and opened his laptop to look for the document. Maggie stood behind Jubal and wrapped her arms around his neck resting her hands on his chest as she watched his laptop screen 

“You ever had to deal with one of these before?” 

“Yeah, but never been the one filling it in, always been receiving it. We've had some analysts that have dated each other in the past and they've come to me to bring it to Isobel” Jubal leaned back in the chair enjoying Maggie’s arms being wrapped around him 

“Oh great so they've found you less scary?” Maggie laughed softly as she ran one of her hands along Jubal’s chest and side 

“Well Isobel didn’t know about their relationships until I brought them to her, she already knows about us so we are a step ahead of them”Jubal laughed softly as he titled his head back kissing Maggie’s neck before lifting the sheet of paper from the printer and he lifted the pen filling in some of the details and then he signed his name and handed Maggie the pen  “Your turn honey” 

Maggie had kept her arms around Jubal’s neck resting on his chest as she watched him fill in the few details that were needed and sign his name, she couldn’t help the smile that appeared when she noticed there was absolutely no hesitation from Jubal about signing the form. She took the pen from him and signed her name without any hesitation whatsoever, she wanted this, she wanted to be with the man she loved. 

Now Jubal had a matching smile as he noticed that Maggie signed straight away, he had been worried there might be some hesitation after her saying about being embarrassed but she was signing her name the minute she took the pen. He had lifted one of his hands to lay on top of Maggie’s hand on his chest as he watched her sign and he then leaned up kissing her softly 

“I love you so much Mags” he whispered against her lips 

Maggie smiled against Jubal’s lips kissing him again, slowly but with so much love “I love you too Jubal” she was still getting used to how good it sounded and felt being able to say those words to him. 

Jubal ran his hand along Maggie’s arm that was still around him and he smiled really enjoying how affectionate they had both been from their first declaration of love to each other. He was never really the most affectionate person in relationships but with Maggie it was completely differently. He lifted the form in his hand and he pulled Maggie’s arm a little tighter around him so that she lay her chin on his shoulder and he snuggled his cheek to hers 

“We can set this with our things so that we don't forget it in the morning and we can head in earlier so that we can talk to Isobel before the others arrive that way we can avoid them asking questions” 

Maggie smiled hugging Jubal a little tighter as she kissed his neck “Sounds perfect to me, now how about we head to bed since we have to get up that little bit earlier tomorrow?” 

Jubal smiled hearing Maggie’s words and when she loosened her grip he stood up facing her “How could I ever turn down the opportunity to share a bed with you” He smirked playfully 

Maggie shook her head laughing “Who knew that me being slightly angry at you would turn in to us finally filling out the disclosure form?” 

Jubal laughed softly “Yeah maybe next time we decide to take a step in our relationship can we skip the you being angry at me part?” 

“I can’t make any promises” She smirked tapping his chest as she went to walk past Jubal but he stoped her by wrapping his arm around her waist from behind and lifting her up causing Maggie to let out a small squeal in surprise and then laugh when Jubal wouldn’t let her go. If this was how them working through their small issues was going to end it was definitely something they could both get used to as the apartment was filled with Maggie laughing and Jubal having the largest most content smile on his face. 


End file.
